Search - Drive Like Jehu :: Yank Crime

Sigh...another lost classic...

Wheelchair Assassin | The Great Concavity | 11/19/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"They may have been neglected amidst the reams of grunge impersonators that dominated rock radio, but during their brief existence in the '90's Drive Like Jehu still managed to create some of the most vital and addictive rock of their time. Playing a brand of noisy indie rock that sounded a little like a lot of acts but a lot like none, these guys left a stunning valedictory with 1994's Yank Crime, a precursor to a great deal of the edgier rock that's been released since. When Drive Like Jehu set themselves to rocking (which was most of the time), they did so with a rollicking intensity and an unabashed catchiness that managed to emerge even amidst all the eardrum abuse. More importatntly, these songs are catchy on their own terms, without resorting to the cliched pop hooks that characterize pretty much everything on rock radio these days.



Combining punkish aggression and attitude with the complexity of math rock, Drive Like Jehu played emo before it became a dirty word. There was no whining here, just tons of manic energy and incendiary performances from all around. DLJ weren't on Steve Albini's notorious Touch & Go label, but one could be forgiven for believing otherwise-they were louder than Slint, less obnoxious than the Jesus Lizard, and less instrumental than Don Caballero, but still possessed the combination of adventurism and explosiveness for which that imprint was known. And yeah, I guess while I'm at the name-dropping I can say there are some parallels to Sonic Youth and Fugazi as well, putting DLJ in the company of several of the best bands of the '90's, albeit with a lot less hype.



With every member cranking the intensity and volume up to 11, Yank Crime is an out-of-control muscle car of an album, veering between short, sharp blasts of chaotic fury and longer, multifaceted compositions that let the band stretch out a bit without compromising an ounce of their intensity. The guitars of John Reis and Rick Froberg thrash about in all sorts of wild patterns, interlocking to form near-imprenetrable walls of noise or uncorking leads that sound about as pleasant as dentists' drills. Meanwhile, Froberg screamed, howled, and shrieked with reckless abandon and unparalleled enthusiasm over the dense rhythmic chug of Mike Kennedy and Mark Trombino. Some tracks go straight for the gut, and others have their ebbs and flows, but all are clenched, intelligent, and hard-driving. What more could you ask for from a rock album? And while I'm dispensing advice, be sure to check out Hot Snakes, who carried on the DLJ sound respectably during their three-album run."